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Home , Kuthodaw Pagoda, Maha Myat Muni Temple, Mandalay Hill, Sagaing, Shwenandaw Monastery, Shwezigon Pagoda

7 NIGHTS TO TO MANDALAY DAY ONE | SET SAIL IN MANDALAY

Welcome on board the Sanctuary Ananda. and 6,000 monks and nuns. Take in the views from the top of the hill on the terraces Check in at 12:30pm and settle into your suite. of the Soon U Ponya Shin which are truly breathtaking. Below and all around, of If you arrive on an earlier flight we can arrange different shapes and sizes dot the landscape. a tour of Mandalay. This will include a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, Shwenandaw and , was once known as ‘The City of lastly a visit to (Maha Lawka Immortals’ which in its heyday held some 200,000 Marazein). Kuthodaw is often called the biggest inhabitants. Today, the leisurely ‘clack-clack’ from book in the world, for surrounding it are 729 marble the looms of the cotton and silk weavers has slabs inscribed with the Tripitaka texts (Buddhist replaced the noisy bustle of this former capital. cannon). Visit the U Bein Bridge, a spectacular place to enjoy Lunch will be served on board as we cruise the sunset. This long teak bridge snakes across towards the pagoda sprinkled hills of . In the Taungthaman Lake. After sunset, return to the the afternoon we will visit a Monastic school and Sanctuary Ananda. orphanage where you will have the opportunity to understand the teachings of . A welcome briefing and champagne reception will be hosted in the Kansi Panorama Lounge before Next, visit the Sagaing Hill, an important religious dinner on board. and monastic centre, home to some 554

SAGAING HILL DAY TWO | SIN KYUN

Early this morning Sanctuary Ananda will sail north ship while passing , where you can see the to the quaint village of Sin Kyun, a village just north unfinished Mingun Pagoda. Visually is of Mandalay which is sponsored by Sanctuary unique: the eye is constantly delighted by scenes Retreats Philanthropy. It has a population of just of beauty. A group of ladies perch on rocks chatting under 1,000 inhabitants and specialises in farming during their daily wash. An ox-cart waits on the and hat making. banks for a boat to arrive and unload its goods. There is no better way to enjoy this riverine picture Take an optional tour to witness first-hand the way than from the Kansi Panorama Lounge or your suite of life in this unspoilt location seldom viewed by balcony. outsiders. Following the Village Chief’s request for a library and a house for an English teacher, Sanctuary After lunch, a variety of on board activities will be Retreats Philanthropy donated the money necessary on offer, including a longyi (sarong) and to begin this new partnership. We hope that with (cosmetic) demonstration and a talk on Myanmar the support of Sanctuary Ananda guests, we will be – covering the country’s incredibly rich history, the able to provide further funds to improve the quality recent controversial decades and the outlook for the of life for the villagers. future of The Golden Land.

After the village tour we will set sail towards Tan A delicious dinner will bring this exciting day to an Chi Taung. Enjoy the beautiful scenery from the end.

SIN KYUN DAY THREE | TAN CHI TAUNG MOUNTAIN

After breakfast, join our Executive Chef for a cooking . Next, we will watch an Elephant dance on the demonstration to test your knowledge of local shore, an age old acrobatic dance used to entertain delicacies and learn how to create delicious Asian the Bagan people, before re-boarding the Sanctuary dishes. Ananda.

We’ll spend the rest of the morning sailing As we sail back to our jetty, enjoy the breathtaking downstream towards Bagan, which means you have and beautiful sunset from the Kansi Panorama ample time to enjoy the luxuries on board Sanctuary Lounge with one of our signature cocktails. Ananda. Maybe have a spa treatment or relax by the pool with a book from our library? Tonight, a candlelit dinner is served on the banks of the . Enjoy lunch as we enter pagoda sprinkled Bagan.

After lunch on board, we will head to the top of Tan Chi Taung mountain to enjoy your first glimpse of the Bagan plain, containing more than 2,000 pagodas and

KANSI PANORAMA LOUNGE DAY FOUR | BAGAN

Take an optional early morning balloon tour* After lunch on board, visit the . to capture a birds-eye view of the Bagan plain, Completed in 1091 AD, it is commonly referred to as followed by breakfast on board. one of the four great temples in Bagan. The Ananda is regarded by folklore as one of the most beautiful Visit the bustling local market of Nyaung U, the daily temples in Myanmar. Next, we will visit Kayminga market where farmers meet to buy and sell a variety pagoda complex to see the different architecture of of goods, ranging from fruit and vegetables to china the stupas first-hand. and lacquerware. Enjoy the sunset over the Bagan plains. Admire the We will then move on to the great golden Shwezigon light change on the pagodas as they exude antiquity Pagoda. This holds a special place among Burmese and mystery. Finally, the sun sets behind the hills pagodas for two reasons: it was the first major on the far side of the Irrawaddy River, filling the sky monument built in the Burmese style following the with a reddish glow - a truly magic moment. country’s conversion to Buddhism, and it was the first pagoda to have (spirit) images A local performance will be followed by a fine-dining allowed within the precinct. The Shwezigon is said dinner on board. to contain important relics of the - two bones and a copy of a tooth.

SHWEZIGON PAGODA

*Balloon tour is available at an additional cost. Please book in advance. Available 1 October - 30 March. Subject to weather conditions on the day of flight. DAY FIVE | BAGAN

Enjoy a morning tour of Bagan. Leaving at 9am we Before returning to the ship, visit a local village will visit a local village in the heart of the Bagan where you will be able to witness the traditional way plain, to see the way of life of the local people. A of life for the Burmese people of this region. Get the horse-cart will be your mode of transport through chance to feel like a local as you wander past their the Bagan plains, with several photo stops and a settlements. It is interesting to see how unaffected visit to Sulamani pagoda along the way. their daily routine is in the shadow of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. After lunch on board, depart to visit Kyauk Gu U Min Temple, one of only four temples in Bagan built from Dinner will be served on board. stone brick. Built into the river bank, this is a temple unlike any other in Bagan. Known as the ‘Rock Cave Tunnel’, this cave-like temple is the perfect place to meditate. Enjoy this wonder as you stroll past the underground corridors lit up by light wells.

SANCTUARY ANANDA DAY SIX | BAGAN

Today marks another opportunity to take an optional Relax as we pass villages set against a backdrop of soft early morning balloon tour* over the Bagan plains. browns and rich tamarind trees with white and golden Breakfast will follow onboard. pagodas gracing the distant hills.

In the morning, we visit a lacquerware workshop. This After lunch enjoy the onboard activities, including a ancient craft has been practised in Bagan since the back of house tour, followed by a delicious dinner in time of King around 1050 AD. Here in the the Talifoo Restaurant. workshop, the traditional methods are still used.

We will then return to the ship for lunch and start sailing upstream towards Sagaing.

BAGAN

*Balloon tour is available at an additional cost. Please book in advance. Available 1 October - 30 March. Subject to weather conditions on the day of flight. DAY SEVEN | MANDALAY

This morning offers another chance to cook with our Your last stop of the day will be at the 774 foot Executive Chef, Sumet. Enjoy putting together the (236m) high upon which the Su Taung amazing Asian flavours while passing by Myanmar’s Pyai Pagoda rests. Once you reach the summit spectacular countryside. (via either one of the staircases or more relaxing escalators) you will be rewarded by a 360-degree In the afternoon, visit a gold leaf beating workshop view of Mandalay, from the Shan mountain range to where you will see how the thin gold leaf that covers the east to the Royal Palace in the south. Buddha statues is produced. Continue to a bronze- casting workshop to learn how the impressively- A local performance will be followed by dinner on large statues you’ve seen across Myanmar are board. made.

TALIFOO RESTAURANT DAY EIGHT | MANDALAY

If you are leaving on a later flight we can Lastly a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda (Maha Lawka arrange a tour of Mandalay. This will include a Marazein) built by King Mindon in 1857, is in visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, one of Myanmar’s effect a copy of the in Bagan. most religious monuments housing the evered Kuthodaw is often called the biggest book in Mahamuni Image. the world, for surrounding it are 729 marble slabs inscribed with the Tripitaka texts (Buddhist Continue on to visit , the cannon). only palace building to survive the bombings of World War II. This beautiful teak monastery had been the apartment of King Mindon, and after his death in 1879, his son King Theebaw moved the monastery out of the palace.

As your cruise comes to an end, we thank you for sailing with us on board the Sanctuary Ananda and immersing yourself in the magic of Myanmar.

MAHAMUNI PAGODA